Florida man arrested after botching in-home castration surgery, deputies say

HIGHLANDS COUNTY, Fla. -- Florida deputies arrested a man for attempting to perform a castration inside his Highlands County home, WFTS reported.

Deputies were called to the home of Gary Van Ryswyk, 74, on Orday Road in Sebring on Sunday, Aug. 18.

When they arrived, Ryswyk told a deputy he had just performed a castration on a man and encountered major issues. Deputies found a victim on a bed, bleeding heavily, with a towel over his groin.

The victim was flown to a nearby hospital and was said to be stable.

During their investigation, deputies found two body parts in a pink container, presumed to have belonged to the victim.

Ryswyk had set up a room to look like a surgical center, and had medical equipment and painkillers inside, according to a release.

A camera was also set up to record the procedure.

Van Ryswyk told deputies he had met the victim on the dark web on a site geared toward people who have a castration fetish.

In addition, Ryswyk told deputies he had tried to perform the procedure on the victim last week, but had to delay.

According to a release, Ryswyk told the victim that he had experience on animals and had even removed one of his own testicles in 2012.

He also said he had done a similar procedure on a man in a local motel a few years ago. It also did not end well, according to the Highlands County Sheriff's Office.

Ryswyk was arrested Monday, Aug. 19 and charged with practicing medicine without a license resulting in bodily injury, a second degree felony.

His bond was set at $250,000.